The Hives, joined by support band Spiritual Cramp, showed up for a surprise visit at The Observatory OC to a sold out crowd of ecstatic fans on Aug 8. The Hives, currently on tour with the Foo Fighters, just finished a stadium show in San Diego on the 7th and head off to another in Los Angeles the next night, but wanted to give their OC fans an intimate night of punk rock!

First up for the night was Spiritual Cramp, a punk rock band from San Francisco, formed by lead vocalist Michael Bingham and bassist Mike Fenton after they left their previous band, Creative Adult. After they released their first song Mass Hysteria, they got signed by Blue Grape Music and now they have solidified their space in the California Coast Hardcore scene.

The opening band often doesn't get the love they deserve with the crowd often waiting for the headliner to get into the audience, but last night the crowd was packed from beginning to end, and the energy given for Spiritual Cramp was at maximum as they kicked off the show with Blowback, Earth to Mike, and Talking to the Internet. Their 30 minute set kept the crowd jumping and got them more than ready to experience The Hives.

The Hives, dressed in their signature stylized suits, came out right on time, and got the crowd riled up for lead vocalist Howlin' Pelle Almqvist to come out and give an animated performance that defines the style The Hives have become so well known for. The show kicked off with Bogus Operandi, the opening track their latest album "The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons." Their overall set list was similar to the shows they have been playing with the Foo Fighters, with a few songs added on, wrapping the night up with fan favorites Hate to Say I Told You So and Tick Tick Boom.

The overwhelming vibe from The Hives show is how much fun they are obviously having, each member doing their own thing and still delivering a cohesive choreographed performance, and the crowd ate that energy up and gave it right back to them, especially when Almqvist stepped down off stage into the crowd and traded high-fives and dodged crowd surfers.

The Observatory OC is a medium sized venue in Santa Ana, Ca that has become known as a spot for big name bands that play massive venues to drop in unexpectedly to try out new music, new sets, or just have a fun night with an intimate audience, so keep an eye out on their Instagram for surprise shows and all the next up and coming new bands they have playing every night.

Want to see more photos from the show?! Check out our Flickr Album for all the amazing shots from the night.